One Cup
by InfinityAgent
Summary: It may take place in a coffee shop but this AU is neither light nor particularly fluffy. Janeway tests her senior bridge staff to find someone worthy of being her second-in-command. One-shot
**A/N: As far as this fic is concerned, the REASON why Janeway suddenly went dark is irrelevant; the only thing that should be noted is that it's happened fairly recently and the senior staff is unaware of her turn. Some of it may be a bit OOC just in the sense that I don't think Janeway would EVER do this so just suspend a bit of disbelief in that regard. There's some character death but it's not graphic.**

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Janeway walked into the primary holodeck and found herself completely immersed in the program she'd requested be specially crafted. A coffeehouse, walls painted with a pastel yellow and trimmed with a variety of wood that she had spent a whole hour deciding on. Cheerful, colorful, and the perfect setting for a round of conferences with her senior staff. The Doctor, who had gone through a costume change and now resembled a chic barista, greeted her from a pastry display.

"Today's the day." Kathryn grinned, walking around the café to inspect some of the small details that had recently been installed. The 'customers' had been programed not to notice her or anybody else, so they didn't seem to mind the close scrutiny.

"I wish you'd reconsider." The EMH dryly stated, hands running nervously along the display. He'd been briefed on the situation and then had been immediately set to work designing the program, although surely there were more qualified people to do the job.

"I need to find a second-in-command, someone who can willfully and completely follow me." There was going to be a change in hierarchy, starting with the senior officers. Kathryn's first order of business was to find a suitable first officer. If Chakotay passed the test and was able to keep his position, good for him. She wouldn't mind if he stayed, but he tended to disagree with her a little too often and Janeway was looking to find someone a bit more agreeable. If not Chakotay, someone else would have to rise to the occasion. The Doctor knew this and had no objections to the change, other than the manner by which the selection would occur. "If you ruin this for me," Janeway turned to face the hologram now, "You'll be deactivated."

And the EMH believed her. It would be so easy to run, to alert the other officers about what was going on and then to get his mobile emitter and make a mad dash for it. But where would he go? They were on a starship in the middle of nowhere. Even if he managed to secure a shuttlecraft (and the chances of that were unlikely in itself), the Doctor doubted he'd be able to make a clean getaway. He'd only succeed in making himself look like a crazy person, spouting "lies" about the Captain (because who would even believe him? and over her? No way). They'd deactivate him either way. The only chance he had was to appease Janeway, even if it meant going against some of his ethical subroutines. As long as he wasn't directly hurting anybody, his conscience would be (mostly) free of guilt. Self-preservation was as good of an excuse as any.

"I'll do as you require." The Doctor didn't want to imagine what this might involve. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to just be imagining it for much longer. The first officer had already been called down to the holodeck and would arrive shortly. Whether or not he would pass was anyone's guess but if he was a betting man, the Doctor would put his money on the man flunking out.

Janeway had taken a seat at a booth by a large, open window. Outside was a sort of empty field, almost as if the Doctor had just built the café and placed it inside a basic scenic template. It worked for the occasion and she understood that he had been working on a timeframe but it was a bit disappointing. There was a chime from the doors, indicating that someone was attempting to get inside the holodeck. Janeway allowed the person access, but locked the doors again once he was inside. Chakotay smiled at her as he entered, coming right to the booth and sliding down across from her. He looked around the room but it seemed more about orienting himself then really being impressed with the design.

"Hi." He greeted, more cheerful than he should have been. Though Kathryn didn't return the gesture, she did her best to maintain a relaxed atmosphere. It wasn't necessary though; she could be blatant about what was going on and he probably wouldn't even notice. Not the most observant officer, but it wasn't a done deal. He was getting a fair chance.

"What can I get for you?" The doctor had appeared at the table, sporting a blue and white spotted apron tied loosely around his holographic form. Both people predictably ordered coffee and the EMH promised to return in a timely manner.

"Is it real?" Chakotay asked, referring to the order. He was wondering if the coffee was being brought in from a replicator or if it was just a part of the program.

"As real as it gets." Janeway replied, this time a small smile curling up the corners of her lips.

"I'll be sure to enjoy it then." He countered, sounding genuinely delighted. The drinks came within minutes, likely due to the fact that they were the only real patrons in the place. The coffee took the form of steaming liquid in matching teal cups, set on the stained wooden table. The Doctor also put down a small ceramic dish full of creamer and a navy cup full of white cubes.

"Thank you, that will be all." Janeway dismissed the hologram, who gave her one last disapproving stare. He knew there was nothing he could do to dissuade her, better to just follow along and get with her good graces. That didn't mean he had to like it. As Kathryn had anticipated, Chakotay spooned a few of the cubes into his own drink. What a disappointment. Things didn't have to be this way, but she couldn't trust someone like that. Janeway's eyes fell on the dissolving cubes as they spun around in the cup. Was she ready to set this into motion? It was almost too late to turn back, but it didn't matter. He'd made his choice and so had she. The pair made idle conversation, first about the course the ship had been taking lately and then into a bit of crew gossip. It was only when Chakotay had finished half of his drink that the conversation took a different route.

"Coffee tastes a bit strange," He muttered, reaching into the navy cup and throwing another cube into his drink. "Are you sure it's not one of Neelix's concoctions?"

"Mine seems to be alright." She sipped, watching as Chakotay absently licked the fingers that had come into contact with the cubes. His expression changed, looking at them then.

"This isn't sugar." Chakotay frowned, staring at the navy cup intently.

"I never said it was." A sort of change went over the man's face, a sort of bloodless pallor that came with the realization that he had been tampered with. It hadn't been a lie of course; it had been his own fault for jumping to assumptions. Really, the crystals on these cubes were much too large to be granulated sugar and if he hadn't been observant enough to notice that, he had no place at her side. He'd had the chance to save himself, to hold onto his rank and position. But he didn't take his coffee black. The poison was fast acting and Chakotay was only just starting to get out of the booth when he became lightheaded and had to remain seated to avoid falling over.

"What have you done?" Angry, betrayal laced within his words. It hadn't been easy to kill him. No, it was something she'd always hoped would go differently. Now was not the time for regrets; she had to stand by her decisions like any good captain should. Chakotay fell easily, head falling upon the table with closed eyes. If he wasn't dead yet, he soon would be. Janeway called for the EMH to remove the body and the half-finished drink.

"I had a feeling this would happen." The Doctor sighed, "What do you want me to do with him?"

"We'll have to have a proper funeral of course." Even if he hadn't been suited for the position, he _had_ served on the ship for a decent amount of time and deserved at least that much. "Take them to the cargo bay and we can figure it out later." It was only after the EMH called for a transport that he picked up on Janeway's choice of words. How many was she anticipating that there would be?

The next crewman to come through the holodeck doors was Seven of Nine. The young woman disregarded the surroundings, not giving them so much as a first glance. She sat stiffly across the booth and stared straight at her superior. Almost as if she was choosing to pretend that the program didn't exist. That simply wouldn't do.

"Do you like the program?" Janeway prodded, eliciting a quick glance around the room.

"It is satisfactory." The young woman wasn't completely at fault for her lack of appreciation. It was doubtful that she'd actually been inside a real one before and wasn't known to have a taste for holoprograms. This being said, it was a strike against her. A good officer needed to be able to appreciate the holodeck for both its relaxation and training purposes. Avoiding it was a waste of available resources.

"Why don't you order something?" The Captain suggested, hoping to get on with the trial.

"I'm not thirsty." Not an encouraging response.

"It's my treat." Janeway knew this wouldn't mean much to the young woman; Seven held the record for most unused replicator rations and so she certainly wasn't in need of any free drinks. The blonde denied the offer once again. "Seven." Kathryn sighed, folding her arms across the table. "I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this." The younger woman cocked her head slightly, waiting for further explanation. "Computer, run program Janeway-zeta."

Photons shifted, shimmered around them. Patrons disappeared, tables and chairs fizzed into nothingness. Lighting changed from a bright and welcoming yellow to a dull grey concrete with bright white fluorescent beams illuminating the space. Windows proved to be nothing more than an optical illusion, sinking into the rotting walls. The room itself almost seemed to shrink from the openness of the café to a closed-in area that seemed hardly bigger than a closet. There were no doors, no signs of any point of entrance or exit even though there had to be one hidden away somewhere in the room. When the movement came to a stop, both parties remained still for a moment longer, almost shift-shocked. Trying to figure out where exactly they'd gone.

The booth that Seven had been perched on had transformed into a metal chair with only a thin line of crusted foam for the most minimal of cushioning. Leather restraints were draped loosely over her wrists and Janeway moved to tighten them before the young woman had a chance to get up. There was a small table in front of the chair that currently only supported a small toolbox and the cup of coffee that Kathryn had ordered during her time with Chakotay. It was not an ideal place to be for either woman, although one was at a clear advantage.

"What's going on?" Seven growled, testing the strength of the bonds. She trusted Kathryn enough to not feel like her safety was completely jeopardized, but it was a position she was not used to being in.

"We're just going to have to make a few tweaks." The blonde had failed to prove herself as a worthy assistant, but her usefulness was not quite drained. There were a couple of things that needed to be done first, and then it could be decided whether or not to keep the drone around. In order to do this though, Kathryn was going to need to bring back some of the borg. Make Seven a bit less confrontational, a bit more willing to follow directions. It was all for the good of the ship.

Janeway once more called for the Doctor, who materialized inside the congested room. The apron had been removed. He appeared quite comfortable with the task at hand, but the threat against his existence was still very fresh in his memory. Seven fought against the procedure at first, but quickly realized that it was safer to wait it out than to thrash around and risk them 'tweaking' something that wasn't meant to be touched.

After the procedure was done, the Doctor beamed Seven to sickbay so that he could keep an eye on her and to make sure everything had gone as planned. Janeway changed the program back to that of the café, ready for the next officer. While she was waiting for their arrival, she stared absently around the room. Now that her nerves had been eased a little, she could really focus on the faces of the patrons and realized that she recognized them. Each holographic person was a recreation of a former Voyager crewmember; they were people that they had lost so far on the journey back home. The Doctor's connection to the crew was touching. Janeway couldn't help but notice the Chakotay sitting by one of the opposite windows, chatting with a young ensign.

"Computer, delete Chakotay." Janeway instructed, even though she liked the hologram. Its presence might make some of the other contenders a bit suspicious, so she'd just have to bring it back once the trial was over. It was mere minutes before the next arrival came striding through the doors, pausing to examine the craftsmanship. "Tom" She greeted, trying to come off as warm and welcoming.

"Did you build this from scratch?" He was visibly impressed with the level of detail present around the room. If even a bit offended that he hadn't been asked to do any of the work.

"I had some help." Kathryn wasn't quite sure whether the Doctor had based it off an existing business or if he'd started from the ground up. Both options probably involved a lot of programming and she was grateful that she had been spared the work. "Come, have a drink." Complying, Tom shuffled over to the booth and sat in the very same spot as his two predecessors. As if on cue, the Doctor materialized, back to wearing the barista costume.

"I'm actually trying to cut down on the coffee," Tom glanced at the half-drained teal cup at Janeway's end of the table. "I'll just take a cup of hot chocolate." Unforgivable and unpredictable. Janeway had definitely not been expecting this, although she had prepared for such a situation. Oh, Tom. What happened? It could've been him, maybe even should've been. The man was a great follower and he didn't just command the respect, he'd earned it. Well… lost it and then earned it and then probably lost it again, but he had his moments. Janeway had already decided that she couldn't let him get away easy. Tom was lucky that he was just skilled enough at piloting to not be expendable. Killing him would be a mistake, but there were ways of getting around that. She made eye contact with the Doctor, who just frowned and gave an almost invisible nod. He understood.

"One hot chocolate, coming right up." The EMH forced a smile and backed away.

Janeway and Tom spoke about the design of the holo-café for a couple of minutes before the doors whooshed open and Seven stepped inside, carrying a steaming grey mug. She did not say anything as she entered, staring straight ahead and walking stiffly. Some of the skin around her implants was still red and sore where it had been cut into and modified. The drone set the mug down on the table in front of the pilot, eyes unfocused.

"Thank you…" Tom furrowed his brows, both confused about the young woman's behavior and by her involvement with the program. He reached out to grab the mug, but his wrist was easily caught by Seven's superior reflexes. Tubules shot out of the implants on Seven's wrist and imbedded themselves in Tom's exposed flesh. He shouted out with surprise and attempted to resist or break away. Seizing the opportunity, Seven grabbed the man by his neck and dragged him out of the booth and towards the exit doors. He quickly went limp; the nanoprobes making quick work with his body. Tom would be more useful as a drone; he wouldn't complain and he wouldn't question orders. Perhaps it was better this way; as a second he might try to eventually rise up and take control.

Upon seeing who the next officer was, Janeway quickly slid the still-warm chocolate over to her side of the table. This was the one that she had the most hope for, the one that she predicted to do the best. Tuvok; the man she'd considered a close friend for many years. He was already someone who tended to agree with many of her decisions and would most likely continue to do so, even if he disagreed with her new policies. The Vulcan cared little for the meeting place but neither commended nor condemned the choice. It was mere seconds after he took a seat that the Doctor was summoned.

"Would you like something to drink?" The EMH was tiring of this little game and almost prayed that Tuvok would pass so that he could finally end the program and wash his hands of the madness. How many crewmembers was Janeway willing to go through before finding that perfect person? What would happen once the entire senior staff was exhausted? Seven could only fully assimilate someone every three days, due to the time it would take to produce more nanoprobes. It was unlikely that Janeway would lock everyone up and put them in line for assimilation, as the murder of the previous first officer had proved. Only so many people could go before the ship maintenance was in jeopardy. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"Vulcan tea." Tuvok suggested, folding his hands atop the table. The Doctor thought of telling the man to reconsider, but the crime had already been committed. The growing frown on Janeway's face confirmed it. She rubbed her temples once, then looked up at the Doctor.

"Bring more hot chocolate." She ordered, though she already had one in front of her. As soon as the Doctor had gone, she slid the grey mug towards Tuvok. "Drink it." Kathryn commanded, though she didn't enjoy it. This one was the most difficult yet. He deserved it, but that didn't make it any easier. The Vulcan examined the beverage but made no movement to pick it up.

"I cannot."

"You can and you will." Bordering more on a threat this time. "It won't kill you."

"The effect of chocolate on Vulcans-"

"I'm aware of the effects." Janeway cut off, leaning forward. "You will drink the hot chocolate, that's an order." Unable to disobey a direct order, Tuvok slowly picked up the lukewarm mug. He knew that it wouldn't seriously hurt him, but he also didn't fancy the idea of getting 'drunk' in front of his captain (or anybody, for that matter). He downed the cup quickly, wanting to get it over with. The security officer had just set the mug back down when the Doctor re-entered, carrying a bright orange cup full of more hot chocolate in one hand a metal pitcher in the other. He'd anticipated Janeway's method and wanted to save himself unnecessary trips. "Tuvok." She nudged the orange cup closer to the man. "Another."

"For what purpose?" Tuvok couldn't fathom why she would choose to do this.

"Because I said so." It had to be done. Hesitantly, the man picked up the warm mug, staring into the swirling brown liquid. "The Doctor can be here in a matter of seconds." Just a fact. She never said that he would or that he intended on doing anything to help the Vulcan, but her words seemed to ease some of his fears. Cup after cup, until finally the effects became more visible. He was more emotional, crying and demanding that it stop. Other than that, Tuvok was a relatively composed drunk. He never once tried to get up from the booth and continued to follow orders until he appeared to simply pass out and fall into the walkway. "Doctor?" As promised, the EMH appeared almost immediately.

"I should get a medical tricorder." The EMH straightened, after doing a preliminary search for Tuvok's vital signs. The man was alive still, which meant that the Doctor was required to try and intervene. He wanted to, but knew Janeway would never allow that. Instead, he'd just have to stall. And stall he did, taking his sweet time through the corridors to Sick Bay and back. By the time all of the instruments had been properly calibrated, there was nothing more he could do to help the Vulcan. "He's dead."

"Get him out of here." Janeway sipped at her drink, having had time to get up and get a refill during the wait. The body was dragged out of the holodeck and Janeway found herself waiting for the next guest to come and take a shot at the position. Who was next on the list again? Harry, was it? He- wait. The officer who entered next was not the charming young man but rather the ship's chief of engineering. "B'Elanna!" Kathryn exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

Being as that B'Elanna was part of the staff who kept maintenance on the holodeck, she had a bit of an advantage over the others. She'd accidentally activated the program the other day, while it was still in development. Usually, all new programs were run by engineering to make sure that there would be enough energy to have all of the features run smoothly, but this one had not been authorized. Curious about the secret location, B'Elanna had installed hidden devices around the café in order to spy on the creator in order to ultimately report it to Janeway. What she'd ended up finding had both disturbed and shocked her, but she hadn't had time to warn anyone before she too was called in for a visit. The engineer had been tempted to reject the invite, but she'd seen how far Janeway was willing to go and knew that it wouldn't be too 'out there' to be targeted for such an act. B'Elanna had ultimately realized that she needed to convince Janeway that she was valuable enough to keep around- and not just as a borg drone.

Now, B'Elanna sat down across from the Captain, staring intently at the older woman. She was willing to sacrifice some of her personal choices in order to get along with this new leader, but she wasn't going to make the first move. Almost a challenge, they stared at each other for a moment while neither spoke.

"Coffee?" Janeway finally asked, calling for the worn doctor once more.

"Raktajino." B'Elanna broke eye contact with Kathryn in order to place her request. "Hot."

"Creamed? Sugar?" The EMH offered, having heard that the brew was otherwise very strong and for those who hadn't acquired the taste, quite undrinkable.

"No." That had been the way that Tom took it, although B'Elanna suspected he wouldn't be using his rations on it for a while. With a slight nod, the Doctor disappeared to fill the order. It was a matter of only seconds before he returned, apparently not even trying to conceal the fact that it'd been replicated. The drink came in a dark lavender mug and was so warm that B'Elanna couldn't even touch it right away. Janeway eyed the contender, waiting to see if the half-Klingon was actually going to drink it or if it had all been to try and show off. Janeway knew about the devices that B'Elanna had planted. Though her initial reaction was to take them down and punish the deviant, she had been curious to see what her engineer would do. The fact that she'd kept quiet about the operation and was now playing along was encouraging. Also, it was a rather clever thing to do and Janeway suspected that had she not have been the creator, B'Elanna would have already reported the incident to her.

It was only after the liquid had cooled some that B'Elanna finally picked up the mug and confidently took a large swig. It wasn't exactly the best-tasting thing she'd ever put into her mouth but as far as Klingon beverages went, it didn't even scratch the surface of the worst. Satisfied with the action, Janeway decided that she'd better jump at the opportunity. B'Elanna had never been her first choice but it was clear that she should have been. She'd passed the test with flying colors.

"I underestimated you." Kathryn finally admitted, breaking the longstanding silence.

"This isn't poisoned, is it?" B'Elanna only half-joked, recognizing the real danger she was potentially in. The show of humor wasn't what Janeway had been looking for as a response. Apparently today was full of surprises. Not necessarily even bad ones.

"Not to my knowledge." That was, unless the Doctor had suddenly started acting out of his own malicious intent, which was just as likely as it was that Harry would've passed the test. There was no need to try any other officers; Janeway had found her second. B'Elanna was already someone that Kathryn knew she could trust and the day's events only seemed to prove that further. Whether or not the half-human agreed with the Captains decisions was irrelevant; that she was willing to go through with it anyways was what made her an asset. She was about as strong as any borg could be and probably capable of striking just as much fear into the crew. No, B'Elanna wasn't someone you wanted to mess with. The only downside was that the likelihood of a mutiny was a bit higher than Janeway would have preferred, but there were ways of knocking that down a couple of notches. "B'Elanna…" The younger woman looked up from her raktajino intently. "Would you be open to taking a promotion?" Of course, should she decide to reject… Janeway would have to dispose of the engineer as well. The amount of dangerous information held within that brain was too high to let walking around.

"Only if it comes with extra replicator rations."

"Consider it done." Everyone was going to be getting a bit more after the day's redistribution anyways and so Janeway figured that it would be best to meet B'Elanna's demands without negotiation. Picking up the teal cup once more, Janeway took a sip of the dark brew. "Well then. We've got a lot of work to do."

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 **A/N: This one was a bit unusual, I know. It was fun to write though! I would appreciate any feedback you might have about it, thank you for reading!**


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